The One The Whole Town Abandoned

Chapter 18 Learning the Truth

Ashleigh's POV

I look over at Dominic as he states to his friend who is next to Stefanie. "Nate, can you please call our guards to collect Pauly and get him the medical attention he needs. I'm sure he will be up soon. I also need you to help Stefanie and we will go into figuring out a plan of attack. You are probably going to have to be the one protecting Stef and I have Ashleigh's back." Stefanie shakes her head, pushing back on this man's chest as his grip tightens around her before she says, "I'm going to go with Ashleigh to get Aurora back. She is like a daughter to me too. I don't care how breathtakingly gorgeous your friend is, I won't let him hold me back!" They both stare at each other for a moment.

He steps a little closer to her as he says softly and sweetly to her, "Well, can I please come with you then? I just want to protect you, please... it's nice to know you think I'm breathtaking because I feel the same about you and I would do anything to make sure you're safe."

She looks shocked at this as they stare into each other's eyes for another moment. "Holy F*#k-aroni.. really? You think I'm pretty and just want to help me? Why? Did I hit you too hard earlier? I think you're supposed to be stopping me instead of encouraging me." Stefanie says back to him, looking so confused as I look at Dominic and he is smiling at them than at me. Nate laughs at her comment before he responds.

"You didn't hit me too hard at all. But if you will have me, Stefanie... I'm Nathaniel and.. you're my feisty little mate. I will follow you anywhere if need be.." he says and my mouth drops open. "What me? Really? Holy F*#k I'm the luckiest girl in the world! Hell yeah, I'll accept you! Sorry, but I have no filter and I'm a big assh*le just a warning." She says trying to make sure he knows what he is getting into. He smiles before responding even quicker than her, "It's ok... I like it.. a lot."

That's sweet, glad something good is coming out of the chaos... I'm happy for her, I am, but I can't let myself get distracted with this right now. "I'm happy you got your werewolf Stef.. now Nate please just protect my friend and take good care of her... but Dominic you need to reject me.. now.. you need to reject me and forget about me because I'm going to have to go with Dan and I don't want you to be miserable. you can reject me and get a better Luna out of the deal.." I say with so much sadness. I look up and see all three of them shaking their heads.

"I'm never rejecting you because you don't know what's best for me. You're what's best for me and my pack. I need you and only you and I won't let him have you!" Dominic says to me as I feel the tears filling in my eyes. "You have to Dom... I love you but I don't want you to get hurt more by this. If I can save you, Aurora, and your pack from my chaos, I will." I retort to him as his eyes are wide and filling with tears as well.

"You love me too?" is all he says as I chuckle and nod. He hugs me so tight to his chest as I cry and he whispers into my ear, "I won't let him have you or Aurora. I'm going to finish this for us... I knew I recognized that guy and that's because he was the one talking with the Luna last night. We can figure something out to get Aurora back. Maybe talk to the Luna or your parents.. Or I'll just kill him and he won't be able to take you... how about that?" he says to me as I shake my head.

"He has my baby and you guys have been involved too much already... I'm going to end this and get my baby out of there... I'm still going to give him exactly what he wants to get her back into safe hands. Stef you need to watch over her please for me. You're like a 2nd mom to her and she needs you... please?" I say as I stare up at her, causing her to reluctantly nod.

I'm filled with so much malice laced in my voice because no one knows how livid I am at this point. No one lays their hands on my baby and I told him if he touched her I would murder him and that's exactly what I'm going to do. I'm not the immature little girl he took advantage of. I'm stronger now and no one threatens my own and gets away with it.

"No Ash baby, we need to figure this out.. what did he mean by, he paid for you? He said he paid your parent's debt and got you. Do you know what he is talking about?" Dominic asks me with so much concern in his voice as I shake my head at him.

"I don't know what he means, but I also don't care about my parents. I don't care about what he thinks he has paid for. I'm not for sale and I will never be his.. but she.. she is mine and I'm getting her back. I'm going to murder that man for threatening her!" I say standing up and walking back into the house with the three of them close behind.

"Ash you can't just go in there guns blazing, you have to have a plan!" He says to me with even more desperation in his voice. I shake my head and answer back. "Just try and stop me, Dom... I told you my plan and I know exactly where he has her, I'm getting her out of there even if I die. He is not going to do to my baby what he did to me. I will die before I let that happen." I say back to him as I slip pants on under my dress. I strip off my dress over my head as I grab a shirt from the laundry basket.

I put on a long sleeve shirt, grabbed my knee-high leather boots, putting them on, and grabbed my stash of knives from my purse and nightstand. I secure them into my boots, making sure I can access them easily if needed.

"Come on we could go talk to your parents and see what they are talking about and see if we can fix this. Please baby please." I see Dominic is still butt-naked. I check him out from the floor to his gorgeous face, as he has so much desperation in his eyes. I groan and look back at him saying, "You got one hour and then I'm gone, but you better get some clothes on handsome or nothing will get taken care of." I turn around grabbing more weapons I can use, making sure I have anything and everything I could use against him that I can hide so he won't see it coming. "Well, then I'm going with you.." I hear from Stefanie who is now in front of me as Nate hands Dominic some clothes.

I shake my head instantly. "He said alone Stef and that means you can't go or he could hurt her," I respond instantly as she retorts back. "Can I just go and wait for Aurora outside? She can't be out there on her own, it's not a good area to be out by yourself, so when he lets her go, I can be there to grab her." I think about this for a minute.. she is right, it's out in the woods with not much for miles so I groan and nod.

"But first we have to go talk to your parents and see what they have to say about this," Dominic says as he is bent over putting shoes on after getting dressed. I groan and nod again at the idea of having to talk to them again. We all walk out of the house and down the street of course because they are close by but still never came by to see if I was ok.. ever... We finally get to my old home to my dismay and my heart is racing. I don't want to go in there.

I haven't even been in there since they accused me of being a harlot and homewrecker and I just left. They never even came to help me, find me, or talk with me.. ugh I don't want to be here.

"Come on baby, we need to do this for Aurora," Dominic says to me as I groan out, nodding. Stefanie is the one to grab my hand leading me up the stairs and to the front door.

Stefanie knocks on the door and my mother answers. "Hey, Stefanie.. haven't seen you in a while... oh.. um... it's you. Hey Ash.." this greeting just pisses me off as I shove past her and say, "We need to talk, mother.. I need father here too." we all walk into the place that used to be my comfort zone.

I'm waiting impatiently tapping my toe on the floor as my mother runs upstairs for a minute, then I watch my father and mother walk down together. "How are your parent's werewolves but you're not?" Asks Dominic in my ear as my brows scrunch up together. I shake my head not knowing they were wolves too. "I don't know," I say back as I hear a greeting from my father.

"Ash what are you doing here?" my father asks as I roll my eyes. "Wow.. ok.. nice to see you both too... As pleasant as this is, I'm not here for you, my dedicated loving parents... I need information... What debt did you not have the money for, that Dan Stevens paid for you?" I just go straight to the point because I'm not here for pleasantries.

"I don't know what your talking about buttercup." my father says as tears fill my eyes. He hasn't called me that since before I left. "Don't call me that, I'm not your buttercup anymore... now stop lying to me... Dan has taken my daughter and says I'm his because he paid your debt and he won't give her back to me until I go to him! Now tell me what the f*#k he is talking about now! I'm not playing these stupid games! My baby's life is on the line!" I yell back, staring at them as their mouths open and shut over and over again as they stare at each other and then back at me.

"We are so sorry this is not what we had in mind... I'm so sorry Lee!!" my mother says as she grovels to the floor in front of me. My jaw is locked as I look back up and stare at my father, crossing my arms, waiting for an actual answer.

"Your mother and I for a long time tried having kids and we were never able to conceive.. we didn't know what to do because nothing worked for us. One day your mother was talking with the Luna about our problems... She suggested a different way of getting a child that was something we could do. We would have to pay her some money upfront and then the money after we got.. you.." he says staring at me. I process what he is saying for a second.

"What are you saying... I'm not yours? How did you acquire me?" I asked spitefully. "No you're not ours.. um.. we paid the Luna upfront what we could and she... stole you from an orphanage... you weren't wanted by your actual parents but we wanted you buttercup!" My eyes are filled up but I'm not spilling these tears, "So what debt am I paying for? You said you paid her upfront.." I ask a little weary of the answer.

"Well, after she gave you to us, we bought everything you needed and slowly paid monthly payments for you but we started running low on any funds at all... But the first payment we paid wasn't even half of what we were supposed to pay.. so she let us pay those monthly payments.. but by the time we were not able to keep paying the payments you were 15... The Luna told us she would take you away from us or kill us all unless we figured out something else.. but we had no more money... and we told her that. So she said she had another idea. She said either she would kill us or... She said she had a man who was very interested in you and wanted.. to pay for.. you.." he says looking so ashamed.. as he looks away from my eyes. I process all this as I think I realize what he is saying now.

"Wait... no no no.. your deal is the reason I got raped!! You made a deal to give me, a child, to a man for him to use as he pleased instead of dying!! Are you F*#king kidding me?!!" I yell as the tears flow from my eyes and there is no stopping it. I hear Dominic's chest rumble because he is just as mad as I am.

"So then why didn't you believe me when I told you I didn't start anything with him and that I didn't want what had happened to me? Why did you abandon me the one time I begged for your help? I needed you guys and you abandoned me! You knew I didn't do this and you called me a w***e!" I yell as the tears flow down my cheeks so effortlessly, even more like a waterfall.

"The contract said he had to wait until you were 18! Part of the contract said we couldn't tell you about it or have contact with you after he takes you and when he.. didn't stick to the agreement and got you pregnant, we couldn't talk to you. So we just figured the best way to cut ties was to act like we hated you and you would stay away." My father says trying to explain. I hear an even louder growling from behind me as Dominic looks just as livid as I feel.

"Oh so that somehow makes it better.. instead of helping the one daughter you paid an arm and a leg for, you decided to trade me to pay your debts, but it's ok somehow because he was supposed to have waited to rape me until I was 18 instead of 16?! What is wrong with you people?! You were supposed to protect me and help me when I had no one else and you threw me to the wolves. You knew what everyone said about me and how everyone treated me. You knew what I went through BY MYSELF and you did nothing?!" I yell back at them.

"I'm so sorry Lee I'm so sorry I always loved you like my own daughter!" My mother says still groveling on the floor. "No mother you never loved me like a daughter.. because if you did you would have never let this happen to me, let alone be the person causing it.." I say glaring daggers at her as I look up at my father and say. "Do you know anything about my parents? Anything about my actual family?" he just shakes his head and says, "No the Luna stole you and said your parents didn't want you. That's why you were at the orphanage." I nod my head as I bite the inside of my cheek, trying to calm down before I murder them both... I sit here for a moment listening to my mother cry as I think about what to say.

"Alright well, since none of my parents want me, I'm going to go clean up your mess and get the one person who has loved me no matter what. I hope you both feel awful because believe me you should... Selling your daughter's virginity and body to a perverted old man to pay your debts is something I hope you go straight to hell for. That's what you both deserve. Goodbye." I say turning around and pushing past everyone as I walk out the front door by myself. I hear my mother screaming and crying as I walk down the stairs.

I get outside and get a breath of fresh air as I feel Stefanie's arms around me saying in my ear, "They are awful people and never deserved you. I'm so sorry that you have to go through this.. but you're not alone. I will always be here for you and you know that... I always have and I always will." She says as I turn around in her hold just crying into her shoulder.

"So what do we do now Phoenix? Do we go get your baby back or do we talk to the Luna?" She asks me as I cry more.

"I say we call the Luna out on her bullshit and get this taken care of now," says Dominic as I see Nate nodding.

I hear Dominic's phone ringing as he answers it. "Hey, Wes what did you find? Good, we will be there in a minute. Call a meeting with the Luna and Alpha now. We will meet you in their office." He says this, hanging up the phone.

"Baby let's go to the pack territory we have the evidence we need to put the Luna away and then we will get our baby back." I let go of Stefanie as I wipe the tears from my eyes, taking a deep breath in and then letting it out.

I turn around, walking back into my parent's house shutting the door behind me. Both my mother and father are still there.

They stare up at me as I say, "You're awful people and I never wanted to ever ask for your help... but please help me now since you never helped me out before. please go with me to be witness to the Luna making these deals with you. We are going to the Alpha with other evidence that shows she is behind this and attempted murder of me and my Alpha mate." I cringe thinking about how I am even here asking for their help.

They look at each other for a moment and my father is the one to answer. "I will go with you, it's the least I could do buttercup. I know that's nothing close to making this up to you and I don't think there is anything I can do to make it up to you, but this is a start at least." I shake my head and say to him. "I will never forgive you for being the reason for my misery and torture through the years but thank you for agreeing to help my mate.. now let's go," I say to him as he stands up and leaves the house behind me.

I hear Dominic's growling as he sees him. I put my hand on his chest as I say softly to him, "Baby it's ok, I asked him to come help with our evidence against the Luna and he has agreed to help us. Now let's go get this done because I need to get my baby back." He kisses my temple as he continues to growl at him. I grab his hand and he reluctantly follows me to the escalade down the street.

Nate gets into the driver's seat as Stefanie climbs into the passenger seat. Dominic opens the door for me as I climb into the middle of the back seat with my father on one side and Dom on the other side. This sucks and is not where I expected it to be right now, but I need to take care of this to get my baby back.